Dissolvable film container

ABSTRACT

Described are kits, comprising at least two dissolvable films, and a container for receiving and storing the dissolvable films, comprising a lid, a bottom portion, and a hinging means connecting the lid to the bottom portion, wherein the lid and the bottom portion move between an open position for accessing the dissolvable films, and a closed position where the lid and the bottom portion sealingly engage through a discontinuous system, comprising a set of corresponding grooves on the lid and the bottom portion, and cooperating surfaces disposed on the lid and the bottom portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS(S)

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/704,069, filed Sep. 21, 2012, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

The following disclosure relates generally to packaging and containers, particularly moisture resistant variants of the same.

BACKGROUND

Personal care films offer a convenient platform for delivering compositions, such as for skin care, hair care, or cosmetics applications. Such films are designed to quickly dissolve upon contact with water or aqueous compositions provided by the end user. An important goal in the industry is that the performance of these films will rival that of their conventional wet counterparts, while providing the greater portability and convenience of a film.

The success of a cosmetic, including personal care films, depends in great measure on the way it feels to a user. In some cases, this refers to in use attributes, such as speed of dissolution and sensory attributes. However, there is a growing appreciation for the fact that a user's experience extends beyond merely using the product. For example, if the individual films stick together and are inseparable, the user will be frustrated regardless of how well the product performs for its intended use.

Accordingly, what is needed are improved packaging methods and devices, particularly new moisture resistant containers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an open dissolvable film container of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view the embodiment of FIG. 1, in the closed position.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an open dissolvable film container of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view the embodiment of FIG. 3, in the closed position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a dissolvable film container 10, is provided to contain dissolvable films. It should be understood that the present invention is not a single dose apparatus. “Dissolvable film” is a known term in the art. In a preferred embodiment, the dissolvable films are such as is described in United States Patent Publication 2010/0204341. As can be appreciated, dissolvable films are moisture sensitive, and need to be protected from exposure to moisture before intentional activation with an aqueous composition.

The dissolvable film container 10 has a lid 20, and a bottom portion 30, connected by a hinging means 40. In an “open” position (illustrated), the lid 20 and the bottom portion 30 are not engaged. In the “closed” position, the lid 20 and the bottom portion 30 are sealingly engaged, as will be discussed with respect to FIG. 2 below.

The lid 20 comprises an upper member 22, a wall 24 that extends outward from and around three sides of the upper member, and a discontinuous inner wall 26 disposed on the fourth side of the upper member adjacent to the hinging means 40. The upper member 22 may contain a window (not depicted) or product marketing information or images (not depicted).

The wall 24 may be profiled with a groove to better engage the bottom portion 30. In one embodiment, the lid 20 and the bottom portion 30 each have corresponding grooves that engage to provide better sealing than if the faces merely meet as coplanar surfaces. In one embodiment, the grooves run parallel to the axis defined by the engaging surfaces of the lid 20 and the bottom portion 30. In one embodiment, the lid 20 and the bottom portion 30 each have corresponding grooves and ribs that interlock.

A latch 28 with a catch 28 a extends from the portion of the wall 24 distal to the hinging means 40. The latch 28 will be discussed in greater detail with respect to FIG. 2 below.

A relief 29 may be formed adjacent to the latch 28 to aid a user in flexing the latch in order to disengage the latch from the bottom portion 30. In one embodiment, the relief 29 is present to reduce shrink or distorted features that might otherwise appear during molding of the dissolvable film container 10.

The bottom portion 30 comprises a base member 32, having a curved portion 32 a that slopes up to the hinging means 40. A wall 34 extends outward from and around three sides of the base member 32. As depicted, the wall 34 is profiled to sealingly engage the wall 24 of the lid 20. A recess 36 is disposed on the wall 34 to receive the catch 28 a of the lid 20.

The hinging means 40 may be any conventional in the art. In one embodiment, the hinging means 40 is a pinned hinge. In one embodiment, the hinging means 40 is a relatively thin piece of resilient material, such as plastic, which is sometimes referred to as a living hinge.

Turning to FIG. 2, in the closed position, dissolvable film container 10 is latched shut and sealingly engaged. For example, the catch 28 a of the latch 28 is engaged in the recess 36 of the wall 34. The wall 34 is sealingly engaged with the wall 24 of the lid 20. In one embodiment, either the cooperating profiles of wall 34 and the wall 24 or the cooperating faces of the catch 28 a and the recess 36 are designed in order to provide a snap fit. In one embodiment, both the cooperating profiles of wall 34 and the wall 24 and the cooperating faces of the catch 28 a and the recess 36 are designed in order to provide a snap fit. The discontinuous inner wall 26 of the lid 20 is adapted to engage the curved portion 32 a of the base member 32, completing the seal between the lid 20 and the bottom portion 30.

An axis A can be drawn from the hinging means 40 to the top of the wall 34. This would be the sealing axis if walls 24 and 34 were merely coplanar faces. However, since the cooperating profiles of wall 34 and the wall 24 interact, and the discontinuous inner wall 26 engages the curved portion 32 a, another axis B can be drawn as the effective sealing axis. Note that the effective sealing axis B is below the hinge axis A, which is advantageous.

It is understood that the present embodiment has the advantage therefore of being highly moisture resistant.

Referring now to FIG. 3, in an alternative embodiment, a dissolvable film container 50, is provided to contain dissolvable films. The dissolvable film container 50 has a lid 60, and a bottom portion 70, connected by a hinging means 80. In an “open” position (illustrated), the lid 60 and the bottom portion 70 are not engaged. In the “closed” position, the lid 60 and the bottom portion 70 are sealingly engaged, as will be discussed with respect to FIG. 4 below.

The lid 60 comprises an upper member 62, a wall 64 that extends outward from and around three sides of the upper member, and a discontinuous inner wall 66 disposed on the fourth side of the upper member adjacent to the hinging means 80. The upper member 62 may contain a window (not depicted) or product marketing information or images (not depicted).

The wall 64 may be profiled with a groove to better engage the bottom portion 70. In one embodiment, each of the lid 60 and the bottom portion 70 have corresponding grooves that engage to provide better sealing than if the faces merely meet as coplanar surfaces. In one embodiment, the grooves run parallel to the axis defined by the engaging surfaces of the lid 60 and the bottom portion 70. In one embodiment, each of the lid 60 and the bottom portion 70 have corresponding grooves and ribs that interlock.

A latch 68 with a catch 68 a extends from the portion of the wall 64 distal to the hinging means 80. The latch 68 will be discussed in greater detail with respect to FIG. 4 below.

A relief 69 may be formed adjacent to the latch 68 to aid a user in flexing the latch in order to disengage the latch from the bottom portion 70. In one embodiment, the relief 69 is present to reduce shrink or distorted features that might otherwise appear during molding of the dissolvable film container 50.

The bottom portion 70 comprises a base member 72, having a curved portion 72 a that slopes up to the hinging means 80. A wall 74 extends outward from and around three sides of the base member 72. As depicted, the wall 74 is profiled to sealingly engage the wall 64 of the lid 60. A recess 76 is disposed on the wall 74 to receive the catch 68 a of the lid 60.

The hinging means 80 may be any conventional in the art. In one embodiment, the hinging means is a relatively thin piece of resilient material, such as plastic, which is sometimes referred to as a living hinge.

Turning to FIG. 4, in the closed position, dissolvable film container 50 is latched shut and sealingly engaged. For example, the catch 68 a of the latch 68 is engaged in the recess 76 of the wall 74. The wall 74 is sealingly engaged with the wall 64 of the lid 60. In one embodiment, either the cooperating profiles of wall 74 and the wall 64 or the cooperating faces of the catch 68 a and the recess 76 are designed in order to provide a snap fit. In one embodiment, both the cooperating profiles of wall 74 and the wall 64 and the cooperating faces of the catch 68 a and the recess 76 are designed in order to provide a snap fit. The discontinuous inner wall 66 of the lid 60 is adapted to engage the curved portion 72 a of the base member 72, completing the seal between the lid 60 and the bottom portion 70.

An axis C can be drawn from the hinging means 80 to the top of the wall 74. This would be the sealing axis if walls 64 and 74 were merely coplanar faces. However, since the cooperating profiles of wall 74 and the wall 64 interact, and the discontinuous inner wall 66 engages the curved portion 72 a, another axis C can be drawn as the effective sealing axis. Note that the effective sealing axis D is below the hinge axis C, which is advantageous.

It is understood that the present embodiment has the advantage therefore of being highly moisture resistant.

It is contemplated that an array of containers such as described above could be packaged and sold in a larger receptacle (such as a compact in the cosmetic arts). In one embodiment, each container could contain a differently formulated dissolvable film. 

1. A kit, comprising: at least two dissolvable films; and a container for receiving and storing the dissolvable films, comprising a lid, a bottom portion, and a hinging means connecting the lid to the bottom portion, wherein the lid and the bottom portion move between an open position for accessing the dissolvable films, and a closed position where the lid and the bottom portion sealingly engage through a discontinuous system, comprising a set of corresponding grooves on the lid and the bottom portion, and cooperating surfaces disposed on the lid and the bottom portion.
 2. The kit of claim 1, wherein the bottom portion of the container further comprises a curved portion that is one of the cooperating surfaces of the sealing system.
 3. The kit of claim 2, wherein the lid of the container further comprises a profiled wall that is the other of the cooperating surfaces of the sealing system.
 4. The kit of claim 1, wherein the container further comprises a latch.
 5. The kit of claim 4, wherein the latch snaps shut.
 6. The kit of claim 1, wherein the corresponding grooves on the lid and the bottom portion of the container form a snap fit.
 7. The kit of claim 1, wherein the corresponding grooves on the lid and the bottom portion of the container further comprise ribs that interlock.
 8. The kit of claim 6, wherein the container has four sides, and corresponding grooves are disposed only on three sides of the container.
 9. The kit claim of claim 7, wherein the container has four sides, and corresponding grooves are disposed only on three sides of the container. 